


Unknown Variable

by Coffeewolf67



Category: The Outer Worlds (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-20 17:48:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30008640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Coffeewolf67/pseuds/Coffeewolf67
Summary: After god knows how long of being trapped in the void, Sam finally manages to escape. But the sins of her past an the universe itself conspire against her, to try and trap her back from whence she came. All hope seems to be lost, but with a dangerous gamble, a new found family, and luck bordering on plot convenience might be enough to make it through. Content warning for Existential Terror and Derealization (and other things as well but I'll put warnings before each chapter.)
Relationships: Female Captain/Ellie Fenhill
Comments: 1





	Unknown Variable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, Content Warning for Derealization.

A living hell, a mind with no body, a meaningless void. All descriptions of what they were going through felt meaningless to them. They knew this wasn't death, they had died several times in the past and it never felt quite like this. Sometimes it was nothing and other times it was everything. Time felt meaningless. They could have been here for minutes or centuries, and it's likely they’ll never know how long it's ever been. A thought crossed their mind of how to describe the experience, something they were never meant to know.

**_Why stay Earthbound when prosperity awaits you in the stars?_ **

A singular sound brought their attention, like waking up after a long slumber they responded. It was calm and clear, not like the other noises that sometimes came and went. It was a voice, a human voice! They were saying something!

**_Come to Halcyon, the only colony on the edge of the frontier owned and operated by corporations!_ **

Now they started to recognize what they meant, Halcyon, Colony, Frontier, Corporations, they all meant things and were no longer just meaningless strands of noises. She had to find out more. It was like trying to climb a single thread of a spider’s silk, harder than it seems even. Using all her willpower she tried to follow it, make it seem more clear and concise. The void was fighting back though, trying to bring back a sense of numbness. A trip of ten short years will feel like mere minutes, thanks to the comfort and safety of your very own hibernation chamber. Yes! It was working. The words got more and more clear with each push forward. Slowly memory returned. The hibernation chamber, she remembered! She was frozen for years inside of a ship! But, what happened next?

**You'll wake up in a perfect society designed to maximize your productivity, with guaranteed full employment!**

No, the voice was getting fainter. It felt like the voice was wrong. The void was quick to gain back ground and numbness started again.

**_With only a minor term of service…_ **

No, this couldn't be it. She remembered colors, it reflected in the void, she started to name them. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, magenta. She didn't know what they meant but she needed to know...

**You will become the master of your own destiny...**

The struggle uphill was enormous, she felt areas grow numb, like static in her skin, but the fact she felt something, anything, was enough to prove that she was doing it. Her body felt like it was being pulled inside out and back again, like a wall of pain was trying to stop her progress to the voice.

_When you go out of this world…_

Just a bit further now.

“To the Halcyon Colony!"

…

She could now see something, more words. She saw the message, Hope was to be left on the edge of the colony. Her vision shifted, out of the corner of it she could see almost like she was a security camera. Indeed, out of the corner of her eye she could see that she was looking through the security cameras! She saw a ship going to the Hope and landing. And out of the ship came someone, she knew who he was before the facial recognition scan did. Dr. Phineas Wells, how could she ever forget!

**_I need more to know more._ **

She couldn't feel anything just yet, but with enough force of will she felt her feet against the ground again, and the feel of the cold metal on her skin. She followed Phineas to the hibernation chamber.

“Hundreds of thousands of colonists. Left to drift out here forever, just to keep from damaging the Board’s bottom line. Disgraceful.”

**_Wait, the colonists? That was me wasn't it? I’m here!_ **

She felt her body rushing past Phineas, who was checking something on the terminal. It was effortless to find it, it had her name written right on it.

Samantha Redwood.

The face behind looked much more healthy than she remembered, then again this is probably the last time she ever had a decent rest. Black wavy hair, dark skin, and though they weren't open at the time, dark brown eyes. But another revelation surfaced when looking at her own face, she saw her reflection in the glass from whatever could be considered her body now. It looked like an exact silhouette, but split half back half white, the only thing she could distinguish were her eyes, which were the opposite color of the side they were on.

**_Maybe I should worry about that some other time. We have more pressing matters now._ **

As if on cue, an alarm blared on. Phineas looked panicked and a robotic arm grabbed Sam’s hibernation pod.

“Looks to be your lucky day, my friend.” He said quickly. Sam knew to follow instinctively and Phineas rushed to his ship, unaware of his invisible follower. He rushed the ship out of the docking station but suddenly three voices came, but from behind him.

 ** _“Put your hands in the air, you’re under arrest!”_** Three more figures of what could only be assumed were UDL soldiers appeared behind them. They were similar to Sam in structure but instead of black and white they seemed to be like a technical difficulties screen, many colors all arranged in a line. Another difference was that Phineas could see and hear them, and his confusion matched that of Sam’s.

**_We didn't see them come in, we should be able to escape!_ **

But an idea struck her. It was stupid and liable to get them killed, but it was her only option. Instantly she grabbed Phineas’ arm with one hand, much to his pain and confusion, and touched her hibernation pod with the other. Using her experiences from the void, everything seemed to break. Suddenly the center of the universe seemed to revolve around them, like a black hole they sucked up the energy from everywhere and almost destroyed themselves building it up. Then it was suddenly released. …

…

“So what you’re telling me is that he got away? You were right there on his ship! How did you not capture him?” Sophia Akande’s voice was cold, yet still calm.

“We tried ma’am. They disappeared, almost like they went into a vortex, then there was a shockwave and it broke Phineas’ ship.” Said one.

“We… actually, how did we get onto his ship?” The voice of the leader said.

“Beats me, I don't even remember docking.” Said another. This piqued Sophia’s attention.

“What about your ship?”

“The power was completely shut down.” Sophia Akande pondered for a moment on this information, she had a hypothesis.

“There’s no way that could be a regular shockwave. Even as great of a scientist as he is Phineas couldn't have made something to do everything that you are describing. Even though what you are describing sounds completely insane, we actually have evidence of this shockwave you just described. Multiple smaller towns have lost power temporarily and many major ones have had technical difficulties.” Sophia looked to her own computer. Though it was state of the art technology, multiple files were corrupted on it. Most of which pertain to the Hope in the first place. “I might not know what is going on now, but trust me we will find out.”

…

Phineas was dumped unceremoniously onto the ground. He felt immense pain in his temple and even more so his arm. He looked around and saw the place he last expected to be again, his lab. He felt a burning pain on his arm flare up and he took a look at the spot, it seemed to turn gray after whatever had just happened. What had just happened? He wondered. But something else soon caught his attention, he spotted the hibernation chamber lying on the floor next to him. He rushed to it and inspected it all over. It looked completely unharmed and the colonist inside was completely fine, a fact that made him sigh in relief. He looked at the name on the outside and muttered to himself.

“Samantha, what have we gotten ourselves into?”


End file.
